Struggles with Poverty
83
These strange differences of opinion rolled a heavy weight upon
me. I saw that many errors were being presented as truth. It seemed to
me that God was dishonored. Great grief pressed upon my spirits, and
I fainted under the burden. Some feared that I was dying. Brethren
Bates, Chamberlain, Gurney, Edson, and my husband prayed for me.
The Lord heard the prayers of His servants, and I revived.
The light of heaven then rested upon me, and I was soon lost to
earthly things. My accompanying angel presented before me some
of the errors of those present, and also the truth in contrast with their
errors. These discordant views, which they claimed were in harmony
with the Scriptures, were only according to their opinion of Bible
teaching; and I was bidden to tell them that they should yield their
errors, and unite upon the truths of the third angel’s message.
Our meeting closed triumphantly. Truth gained the victory. Our
brethren renounced their errors and united upon the third angel’s mes-
sage, and God greatly blessed them and added many to their numbers.
[
Following the return from western New York in September, 1848,
elder and Mrs. White journeyed to Maine, where they held a meeting
with the believers, October 20-22. This was the Topsham conference,
where the brethren began praying that a way might be opened for
publishing the truths connected with the advent message.
A month later, in November, 1848, they were with a small company
of brethren and sisters assembled in conference at Dorchester, near
Boston, Massachusetts. It was during this meeting that light was
received regarding the duty of Elder James White to publish the truths
of the third angel’s message.
]
[120]
Visit To Brother Snow
From Volney we journeyed toward Port Gibson, sixty miles distant,
to meet another appointment August 27 and 28. “On our way,” wrote
my husband in a letter to Brother Hastings dated August 26, “we
stopped at Brother Snow’s in Hannibal. In that place are eight or ten
precious souls. Brother Bates, Brother and Sister Edson, and Brother
Simmons stopped all night with them. In the morning Ellen was taken
off in vision, and while she was in vision, all the brethren came in.
One of the number was not with us on the Sabbath [truth], but was
humble and good. Ellen rose up in vision, took the large Bible, held